This is the terrifying moment a deadly cobra was found lurking in a washing machine in Thailand.

The 5ft venomous reptile slithered into the appliance while resident Tee was about to do his laundry in Rayong province on November 23.

The husband opened the lid of the machine - only to see the serpent hissing loudly at him. He then called a wildlife team to remove the snake.

Footage shows the officers trying to drag the cobra out of the washing machine drum gap. As the space was too narrow, they had to dismantle the appliance before catching the snake.

Tee said: 'My son had placed clothes in the washing machine and we were waiting for it to finish washing before starting the spin cycle.

'Suddenly, I heard a loud hissing noise. I looked inside and the cobra was there. It lunged at me and I narrowly avoided being bitten.'

The cobra was later released into its natural habitat.

Researchers found that 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year in Thailand. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.